Beat the heat: Why hydration is the best hack to face extreme summers
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. We’re just stepping into April but several parts of India are already suffering heat waves and abnormally high temperatures. As a result, hydration has become a hot topic earlier than usual.
As with most vital wellness and health-related matters these days, there is a fair bit of conflicting information out there with no credible source or scientific evidence to support it. “That doesn’t take away from the fact that hydration is critical in fighting extreme heat, as prolonged exposure to high temperatures can increase water loss through sweating, leading to dehydration," says Dr. N.R.
Shetty, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Mumbai. A study in the American Journal of Physiology found that even mild dehydration (1-2% body weight loss) can impair cognitive performance and mood. Dehydration can increase the core body temperature and reduce endurance, coordination, and cognitive function, making people more vulnerable to heat-related illnesses including heat exhaustion, dizziness, headache, muscle cramps, fatigue, and even heatstroke in severe cases.
The general advice that has been drummed down to us over the years is that you need to drink three litres of water a day. Now, while general health guidelines do recommend two and three litres of water per day for adults, doctors and health experts unanimously agree that actual hydration needs vary from individual to individual. For example, people with sedentary lifestyles sweat less and may need less water.
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